Andrew Lloyd Webber and James Earl Jones Plan Broadway Returns

By JESSE McKINLEY

Published: November 11, 2004

As a composer and producer, Andrew Lloyd Webber has had a rough go on Broadway in the last few years, including a poorly reviewed revival of his ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' in 2000; his short-lived musical, ''By Jeeves,'' in 2001; and the still wobbly fortunes of ''Bombay Dreams,'' the Bollywood-inspired musical that he originally produced successfully in London but that has had lackluster sales in New York.

None of that has apparently discouraged Lord Lloyd Webber; millions in the bank and international fame are some comfort, after all. Now comes word that he will open his newest musical, ''The Woman in White,'' on Broadway exactly 364 days from now, the show's producers said.

The musical, a mystery melodrama based on Wilkie Collins's 19th-century novel, is the composer's latest attempt to recapture the magic of his reign during the 1980's as king of the mega-musicals, a period that included ''Cats'' (the Broadway endurance champ with nearly 18 years of performances before it closed in 2000) and ''Phantom of the Opera'' (still running at the Majestic Theater and rapidly approaching the ''Cats'' record; see ''Arts, Briefly,'' Page 2). It opened to mixed reviews in London in September but has been selling briskly, and that appears to have been enough to assure the producing team -- Bob Boyett, Bill Haber, Sonia Friedman, the Nederlander Organization and Lord Lloyd Webber's company -- that there's still an ample American appetite for Lord Lloyd Webber's work.

The opening night is set for Nov. 10, 2005, and the show is expected to cost $10 million to $12 million. No theater has been booked, but the involvement of the Nederlanders means it will be one owned by that organization, quite possibly the Minskoff (currently home to ''Fiddler on the Roof''). The American production will involve all of the British production's creative team, including the director Trevor Nunn, who also directed ''Cats.'' The musical's lyrics were written by David Zippel and its book by Charlotte Jones.

There has been no word yet on casting; the British cast included Maria Friedman, Angela Christian and Michael Crawford, who originated the role of the Phantom on Broadway.

Lord Lloyd Webber's was not the only Broadway comeback announced yesterday. As expected, James Earl Jones is also returning to the New York stage. After a 16-year hiatus from Broadway, he will play opposite Leslie Uggams in a revival of Ernest Thompson's 1979 weeper, ''On Golden Pond,'' due to open April 7 at the Cort Theater on West 48th Street.

Produced by Jeffrey Finn and Stuart Thompson, this production finished a run at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington last month, where it received good reviews, particularly for Mr. Jones. (It was also well liked during a more recent run at the DuPont Theater in Wilmington, Del.)

For Mr. Jones, 73, the role may offer a shot at another Tony Award. He has already won two: in 1969 as Jack Jefferson, the black boxer in an all-white ring in ''The Great White Hope,'' and in 1987 as Troy Maxson, the bitter, fading ballplayer in ''Fences,'' by August Wilson. That play was the last time Mr. Jones appeared on Broadway.

This time around, however, Mr. Jones will play for more laughs, as Norman Thayer, a curmudgeon's curmudgeon in Mr. Thompson's lighthearted family drama. The play, which ran on Broadway before being turned into a big-screen hit (with Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn), is expected to cost about $2 million and to have an open-ended run.